Court stops PDP from replacing three ward executives in Gombe

A fresh leadership crisis has hit the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe State as three ward executives of the party in Billiri Local Government Area have secured an ex parte order preventing the National Executives of the party from replacing their names as the duly elected ward executives.

Justice Abubakar Jauro of the Gombe State High Court 8 sitting in Gombe granted the order in favour of Elisha Ibrahim and 47 others who are asking the Prince Uche Secondus led National Executives of the PDP to stay action against any intended change of the ward executives in Billiri North, Baganje North and Tal wards pending the determination of the substantive suit.

The PDP had rescheduled and held their Congresses in the State on 25th February 2020 where the ward, Local Government and State Executives were elected and sworn-in.

But during executives and stakeholders meeting in Gombe held sometimes around 30th June 2020, there were moves to replace the party executives in the three aforementioned wards.

Agitated by this action, Elisha Ibrahim and 47 others, approached their lawyer, Sati Benjamin to file an exparte order since they were already elected, sworn-in and their names sent to the national headquarters of the PDP in Abuja.

There was also no subsequent counter process to either do all over again the process of electing executives of the wards.

According to Sati Benjamin, counsel to the plaintiff, his clients are not aware that someone is coming to say that he has an authority from the party from Abuja to replace some people which is undemocratic.

Speaking to our correspondent, Barrister Sati said, after the process that brought the 114 ward executives in the State including the three from Billiri LGA, the party chairman of the Local Government compiled the list of the successful candidates and sent to the State office and the state office to Abuja.

He added that “the National Organizing Secretary of the Party, Rtd Col. Austin Akubundu replied acknowledgement, forwarded to us the approval of the national working committee of the party forwarded via a letter dated 27th April 2020 the approved list for the 114 wards in Gombe State including the three that are now in court”.

” We just secured a court exparte motion to restrain the national chairman, board of trustees, the State chairman of the party and INEC from tampering with the status quo ante pending the filing off of a motion on notice and an originating summons for the determination of the real issue in controversy “, he stated.

The hearing on the matter is fixed for 29 July 2020.

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